Simply Night
by Sheamaru
Summary: Kiba's father tries to show his son the importance of his life to the village after being initiated into the Inuzuka clan on his sixth birthday.


**Series/Disclaimer:** Naruto, which I don't own. But I do own Mimimaru and the Shiro Ni.  
**Warning(s):** None really. Lots of sweet-ness? owO  
**Chapter OST:** We Are One - Lion King 2: Simba's Pride Soundtrack  
**Author's Note:** Okay, if you look at the Chapter OST and know ANYTHING about ANY Lion King movie, especially that one, you'll understand this fanfiction. I'm a lover of Disney music and that movie PWNS so I downloaded the song a while ago and it was too perfect to not write something like this about.

This is just a short one-shot, it isn't going anywhere, and it's more just something I've had on my mind for a while. I'm at a bit of a block for Deception at the moment so I decided to finish this up as I had started it like towards the beginning of this month. With a little thinking the block in Deception will be dead and I plan on jumping on that a little more tomorrow.

I figure that Kiba's father would be a fun thing to touch on since we never really see him. He seemed, to me, like he'd be a pretty cool dude. I named him Mimimaru because I really couldn't think of anything pertaining to a dog to use aside from like...ear. So that's what he has! Mimi is Japanese for ear and we should all know the suffix '-maru' is just a common kind of suffix.

I also made up the Shiro Ni which should mean the 'White Two'. Awai means 'light, faint, pale' while Chisoku means 'speed, progress' (according to the translator I use anyway) and I thought they were a pretty decent fit for Mimimaru's dogs. Like no one in the Inuzuka family has female dogs so I just decided to give Mimimaru one.

It's probably because of this song that Mimimaru reminds me of Simba.

Anyway, yeah, I kind of just liked this story. I might write another some time involving Mimimaru just because he seems like a pretty cool guy - but those might have to wait until after Deception.

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The Inuzuka Estate was not as large as the Hyuuga Estate but consisted of more people than the elite Aburame. There were no walls surrounding it to keep people out or in, though there was a fence with a gate that was usually left open and ran along the pathway to mark their territory. There were woods both behind the house and across the stone path and the grass was surprisingly green. A dirt path made of flat stone embedded deep into it lead up to the front door in a way that was inviting and welcoming. A large tree stood near the off-center of the yard and it was clearly very old but still very alive. The trunk was just large enough for it to take two people to hug it and the branches were thick and sturdy. An old swing hung by an equally old rope from one of the strongest branches and swung with the wind as though begging to be pushed though no child was there to amuse themselves with it.

Large houses were pushed together, some higher than others, and built closely spaced with some short covered bridges leading between them. All the roofs were red and windows seemed to take up a decent part of the outside walls, yet where it sat made light glint off of them much of the day and it was hard to ever see inside. There were seemingly hidden pathways that laced between and around the large buildings, leaving a lot to be explored for someone who was new to them. Smaller houses were set in the back for some canines and owners who preferred to be away from the mass of houses. Multiple families and generations lived together here and grew over many decades to form the Inuzuka line.

But the estate that sat in the shade of the side of the Hokage mountain face was still in the warm summer air today. The sun was getting ready to set and the warm glow was making much of the sky orange, pink, and gradually moving into the dark blue of night. Some members of the clan liked to watch this happen, but they were missing it on this summer day. All of the clan that was not a mission had gathered in the center of the estate to accompany with the birth of a new child to the family.

It was tradition for Inuzuka to have their children in their estate and they had been blessed for so many years with a lack of difficulty that the hospital was never needed. Some women (and men as well) had trained deeply into the medical arts to be mid-wives and assist however they could. But Tsume Inuzuka insisted that she wouldn't need any help and her only mid-wife needed would be her own husband. Kuromaru sat at her head, affectionately licking her cheek and nuzzling against her shoulder as she growled and cursed a new child into the world. Much of the family remained as far away as they could while still bearing witness; Tsume was a fierce woman as it was and seeing her in such pain was hardly something any of them wanted a close view of.

However, after several hours of labor, she was simply tired and ready to sleep. She was strong enough though, to take her child from her husband for a while. Supporting him carefully in her arms newly washed and wrapped in a gray blanket strongly emitting the scent of his mother and father. For the first time in years she looked as though she was going to cry, "He looks so bare without the markings." She laughed, attempting to chase the tears away.

"Darling, his name," her husband whispered softly, leaning against her shoulder as he looked at his son as well.

"Kiba." Her answer came without a hint of hesitation or thought, the name was perfect for a strong Inuzuka child – which was what her son would be.

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Kiba held his eyes tightly closed as his cheeks burned with an intense pain he was struggling to pretend wasn't there. Holding still while having someone pick open the skin of your cheek with a sharp dog-bone needle and acid-like dye was not exactly comfortable. Especially not for a boy of only about six years old who had never really experienced that much pain before in his life. His slitted eyes were tearing up slightly as his small fists clenched tightly on his pants.

"Alright, Kiba?" his father asked, smiling softly at his son's brave attempts to be strong. He knew that receiving the Inuzuka markings was not a pleasant experience. However it was a necessary and important one as everything Kiba did after this point would reflect his clan. It was true the Inuzuka were not as prominent or 'elite' seeming as some of the other clans, however they were still a respectable people.

The young brunette made a soft squeak of a sound in reply, one that was not easily distinguished as a 'yes' or as a 'no'. Mimimaru laughed softly and leaned to the side so he could look onto his boy's face. He had already finished with Kiba's other mark which now sat red and irritated on Kiba's cheek as it dried in the warm summer air. Kiba's bottom lip was quivering slightly in an attempt not to cry and the elder brunette could see tears on the corners of his eyes, "How about I call one of the Shiro Ni for you?"

As he pulled back the needle Kiba nodded slowly, moving up a hand very carefully (as to not smear the ink across his face) to wipe at the edges of his eyes. Mimimaru whistled and the two great white wolf-like dogs came bounding down one of the many pathways that twisted between the buildings of the estate. They were both remarkably white for canines but it was because they were Inuzuka companions that they appeared so strong. They slowed to a walk as they closed in on the pair, one with glacier blue eyes moved forward and spoke in a strong woman's voice, "Master Mimimaru – you called us?"

"Would you mind sitting with Kiba to occupy him?" He asked, though his voice was full of hesitation as he had returned to his work and too much distraction may cause him to falter.

"Of course," she said and looked to the other dog that moved forward at his sister's glance. Chisoku laid his front legs across Kiba's lap and allowed the child to fist his hands gently in his white fur, careful to not pull on it but finding much reassurance in the softness between his fingers. His sister walked around to sit beside her master and watch as he completed his work.

After several more minutes a young girl came bounding from the open doorway several yards behind him. Her hair was in a low pony-tail and brushed between her shoulder blades as she ran and slid to her knees on the other side of her father, "Is he almost done, Dad?"

"Almost," Mimimaru said the tip of his tongue showing from between his teeth in concentration.

"Hana! What did I tell you about interrupting your father?" Tsume called as she briskly walked out after her daughter.

"Aw, Ma, he's almost done!" She shouted back, trying to pout but failing because of a large smile that was spreading across her face. Kiba blushed at the sudden arrival of his big sister and mom and now insisted that he not cry. He was a boy, after all, and boys weren't supposed to cry in front of girls. Hana didn't cry when she got her marks.

"I don't care, go back inside!"

"It's alright. Hana, honey, why don't you go get the herbs and gauze for me? You finished them right?"

"Duh!" Hana replied as though her not completing the most important task of her day was a stupid suggestion. Jumping back to her feet she ran back inside and Tsume sighed, taking an Indian style seat beside her husband.

"She's done nothing but talk about this since this morning. She was up before Kiba," Tsume said, "You'd think it was her receiving her markings all over again instead of her little brother."

Though he remained silent, Kiba felt a sudden rush of shame at the fact his sister had appeared more excited than he had on his sixth birthday. He paused in petting Chisoku as he sniffed away the last of his tears and set his gaze on the ivory fur under him. It was _his _initiation and his older sister was the one running around like it was her birthday. She _had _been up before Kiba this morning, already working on the herbs for his tattoos before Kiba had even had breakfast. He hated to think about it but he was pretty sure he had been afraid of today – he could barely sleep the night before because his stomach had hurt so badly.

Mimimaru watched as his son began to daze more than someone in pain should have been and decided to remedy this, "Well that's only because she's not the one going through the pain this time, eh?" He pretended not to notice as Kiba looked up at him from the corner of his eye, "Must be easy to see someone go through this pain than doing it yourself. Right, Kiba?"

Even though he was only six, Kiba knew what his dad was doing and if he wasn't afraid that he would mess up his markings he may have smiled. Instead he turned his gaze back towards Chisoku and sniffed again a little (but promised that was the last time) and moved his small hands to continue petting him. Tsume looked over her son with a light smile on her face; she shook her head slightly, "Of course. She was the same way Kiba was on her initiation."

"Got it!" Hana came running back outside and across the fresh green grass with a small glass jar and gauze in her hands.

"Perfect timing," Mimimaru said as he pulled back the needle and wiped it off with a small cloth that had been on his lap.

"You're done? Yes! I get to do it right?"

"No, we were lying to you for the past three years," Mimimaru replied completely calmly. Hana's mouth dropped in shock and her eyes reflected a decent amount of anger to which he only laughed and moved aside so his daughter could drop to her knees beside Kiba, "Of course you get to do it. Be careful now, don't-"

"_Paaa_," Hana whined as she pulled out a small towel and smeared a corner of it in the herb mix from the jar. The older male sighed and raised his hands defensively in an 'alright, go ahead, I won't lecture you' kind of gesture.

Both parents watched as Hana gently began to clear away the extra ink and blood from Kiba's cheek. The towel in her hand came away red but she was careful not to smear it as she wiped the soft cloth over her baby brother's cheeks and gently patted it around the edges of the sharp red fang. The irritated skin immediately felt soothed by the herbal medicine and after she finished cleaning it, Hana carefully placed a rectangle of gauze over Kiba's cheek and taped it down. She mimicked the movements on the other cheek and once she was done she sat in front of her brother.

Chisoku moved away so she could throw her arms around him and Kiba was knocked backwards into the grass with his big sister atop him, "I'm so proud of you, Kiba!"

"Nee-chan…you're squishing me!" Kiba spoke in a small voice and fidgeted under his sister. She laughed and sat upright to look over her brother and kiss him square on the nose. Kiba wrinkled his snout slightly as though it tickled but Hana just ruffled his hair and crawled off of him.

When Kiba sat back up everyone was standing around him and looking down but he didn't feel small like he usually did. Between the pain in his cheeks and the kiss from his sister he felt…older and bigger. When they healed he would have markings just like the rest of the clan, he would be a _real _Inuzuka just like his dad and mom and Hana.

Awai, Chisoku's older sister, nudged him up to his feet and Kiba felt his dad lift him off the ground and hold him up on his shoulder. As they left the shade of the large tree they had been sitting under, Kiba squinted and raised his hand up to block his eyes from the sun that was making its journey back towards the horizon. Mimimaru shifted the boy to carry him on his back as he walked through the estate, making Kiba laugh as he jostled him up and down.

By the time he set Kiba down again they were near the large cliff that towered behind the Inuzuka estate. Kiba had climbed it a lot even at a young age and barely struggled at all as he followed his father up to a familiar flat rock face that over looked not only the estate but much of the village as well. Kiba could see banners signifying where some of the other clans had settled throughout Konoha and beyond the wall surrounding the village he could see the sun beginning make it's final path towards descent.

"Do you see it, Kiba?" his dad asked after a moment. Kiba was never supposed to come up here near sunset and this view was his first time seeing it. In spite of this he knew that his father couldn't have simply been talking about that so he looked closely at the village. His eyes squinted in concentration, an effort that made Mimimaru laugh, "You're looking too hard, kiddo."

"You mean the village?" he asked, looking up to his dad as he kicked his feet over the side of the rock face.

"_Our _village," Mimimaru corrected. Kiba looked back over the layout of Konoha once again as his father continued, "Before you got your markings, you were already very much a member of this village. Never forget that this place is your home and you must give everything you have to protect it and its people. You're an Inuzuka, Kiba, but even before that you are a member and important part of this village."

"But I'm just one person," Kiba said, his voice dragging with an unusual inferiority.

"This entire village is made of a bunch of 'one person' people," he said, "It's the family they come together to form that's important."

Kiba seemed to think about this for a minute before frowning, looking up at his dad once again. Mimimaru's own slitted black eyes were looking over the village as though seeing something that Kiba did not. Or perhaps he was just seeing something that Kiba didn't yet understand, "But I'm not an Uchiha or a Hyuuga or an Aburame or an anyone else but an Inuzuka. They're not my family or anything, why do I have to protect them? Do they get this talk from their dads too?"

The taller brunette chuckled as he looked to his son and reached out an arm to pull Kiba closer and the young boy scooted onto his lap. Together they looked over the village for a moment before Mimimaru spoke again, "I'm not sure. Can you show me where each clan lives?"

Kiba nodded confidently before sticking out his arm, "The Aburame are over there," he said, stretching his finger in the direction far East. "The Hyuuga are pretty much in the middle, right there," his little hand indicated to a large wall surrounded area just off the main path through the village. "The Uchiha are over there." His arm swung over towards a small city looking area that was isolated near the edges of the main part of the village. He also pointed out other places where well known families stayed, namely the Nara who had their own deer farm that Kiba liked to visit sometimes when he was walking home from the market with his sister.

"Very good. Now, look over towards the Uchiha estate," Mimimaru instructed as the sun began to set more finally beyond the wall.

Kiba nodded and looked where his father indicated as shadows began to form over the buildings hidden beyond the gates of the sharingan user's estate, "Watch the shadows closely."

The boy watched as the shadows spread across the first few houses and along the pathways of the estate, inching towards the walls. However he also noticed that they were spreading over other areas of the village beyond the estates walls and as the area grew it became harder to follow with his eyes. The darkness began to creep over the Hyuuga houses as well as the Aburame. It stretched closer and closer towards the Inuzuka estate in a way that almost made Kiba feel like panicking. The dark took over the streets and the houses, the grass training fields and the forests. It spread over the other cliffs placed throughout the village and the academy in the distance. Slitted eyes flicked around attempting to keep up but before he knew it he had lost to the vast spreading darkness.

"Though we aren't related by blood, night sets on this village all the same. It spreads from the Uchiha to the Hyuuga, to the Aburame and across the Nara grounds as well as the Yamanaka flower shop. It covers the Akimichi household as well as the apartment buildings and Hokage building; night reaches our doors as well - at the same time it reaches the rest of the village," Mimimaru explained. Slowly Kiba came into the realization of what his father was saying, beginning to understand more why his father and mother fought as they did; why Hana was attending the academy. To protect everything that the night touched below them, "Just as the shadows reach over all of our estates, our loyalty to our village links us together. We are all bound to one another for the safety of each other; we fight beside each other and protect each other as though we _were _family. The name we go by and the techniques we use aren't important except to honor that trust."

"So…when I get older…I gotta protect all these people?" Kiba asked, a slight nervous pressure settling across his shoulders.

"Yeah, you gotta protect all those people."

"But…I'm not alone…'cause everyone else is doing it too?"

"That's right," Mimimaru said, nodding as he looked down at his son. Kiba's eyes continued to scan over the village as though seeing it for the first time. His mouth gaped slightly as though in complete awe, eyes trying to take in everything at once. After a few moments he swallowed and nodded a little, looking back up to his father.

"I can do that," Kiba concluded in a very decided voice.

"You sure? It's a pretty big job for one kid," Mimimaru asked, raising a brow lightly.

"Nah," Kiba said, looking over the village with a grin spread across his face. A sharp canine tooth showed cleanly through his lips, "I'm not the only kid in this village, right? So I've got some back up if I _really _need 'em."

Although he wasn't completely sure Kiba understood what he would need to do, Mimimaru laughed and nodded. Some day his son would join a class and make friends, he would graduate and have a team of his own to look out for and to watch his back as he would watch theirs. Until that day came, as it did in every shinobi's life, Kiba wouldn't truly understand the meaning of his words. But knowing that he would understand someday? That made it perfectly fine by Mimimaru.

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Kiba kicked his feet off the side of the rock as he looked over a village that had seen more changes in his life time than it had probably seen before. His brunette hair was messed up by the wind as he leaned forward, his elbows digging into his thighs and his hands hanging limply between his knees. The sun was beginning to set beyond the village's borders and the familiar shadow was stretching across Konoha. His eyes moved from estate to estate as he recited them softly under his breath, "Aburame, Uchiha, Hyuuga…Nara…Akimichi…the Yamanaka flower shop…" and he continued beyond what he used to know, "Sakura's house…Naruto's apartment building…Kurenai-sensei's house…"

Too quick for any eye to catch, the shadows spread along the rooftops and streets, covering the grass and making the dirt and stones dark. The wind continued to softly rustle his brown hair, tickling his ear and bringing fresh scents to his nose. It was as though nothing could touch him up here yet at the same time, here more than anywhere else was where he felt surrounded. It was as claustrophobic as a tight hug but as comforting as one as well. He swore he would bring Hinata and Shino up here some time; this was a sight they really had to see and one he knew he had to share. But for now it was just his, where his memories could be alive without stinging. Where it was just okay to miss things he didn't have anymore and remind himself of why he fought. For now that was just his, and everyone else could find their own reasons.

Kiba moved to get up when the stars started to shine and his legs began to feel stiff. Carefully he rose to his feet and looked over a village settled in night yet reminded him nothing of dark. Darkness was mysterious and scary to face and it always made him feel as though he were alone. He couldn't see who was beside him or in front of him in the dark; all he had was himself and what he could determine. But…

"Night happens at the same time for all of us here, right Dad?"…looking over the village was not dark – it was simply night.


End file.
